Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIA-TURKEY PROTOCOLS HAVE NO FUTURE – EXPERT

October 10, 2013 | 13:32

YEREVAN. – The protocols signed by Armenia and Turkey have no future,
director of Armenia-based Institute of Orientology Ruben Safrastyan
said.

“The lack of prospects is explained by the position of official Ankara
and is proved by the statements by Turkish high ranking officials.

Given the remarks of Turkish FM Ahemt Davutoglu, Ankara is not
willing to normalize relations with Armenia,” Safrastyan told Armenian
News-NEWS.am.

He noted that Turkey has no intention to abandon its policy the goal
of which is to press Armenia on Karabakh issue and recognition of
the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire.

In October 2009 Armenia and Turkey signed protocols in Zurich to
normalize diplomatic relations between the states. The documents
had to be ratified in both countries’ parliaments. However, in
2010 the Armenian president suspended the process due to Turkey’s
non-constructive stance. Ankara set preconditions and linked the
reconciliation process to resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Finally
Turkey decided to remove the protocols from parliament’s agenda.

ANOTHER ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY FACES DESTRUCTION

12:14, 10 October, 2013

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 10, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian Church, located in the
Sivas (Sebastia) Region of Turkey, having a history of 700 years,
faces destruction. Quoting the Turkish Haberler.com, Armenpress
reports that treasure seekers significantly damaged the Church,
having dug the walls and the floor.

The city mayor informed that it has been for a long time that the
Church needs reconstruction. Concerning the origin of the Church,
the mayor stated that “it belonged to the Armenians and Greeks”.

He emphasized that the destruction of the Church was conditioned by
bad weather conditions and expressed his hope that the authorities
will assist to save the Armenian Church from the final destruction.

ARMENIA BENEFITS A LITTLE FROM ACCESSION TO CU, BUT LOSES TRADE SOVEREIGNTY: EXPERT

YEREVAN, October 10. /ARKA/. Public hearings on strategic challenges of
Armenia’s socioeconomic development in relation to Armenia’s accession
to Russia-led Customs Union were held Wednesday in Yerevan initiated
by Partnership for Open Society Initiative.

Independent experts made reports describing differences between the
association agreement and the accession to the Customs Union and
Armenia’s main challenges in the context of the agreements.

“We are starting with economic discussions to reveal achievements and
losses we may encounter if we don’t take the European integration
path”, said Larisa Minasyan, founding director of Partnership for
Open Society Initiative.

Expert Vahagn Ghazaryan said in his speech main differences between
the two documents are on the customs duties. According to him, the
association agreement would open up for Armenia the opportunity of
free trade and harmonization of mechanisms of duty-free regulations
with EU countries.

“Armenian goods would then be exported to the European market on
duty-free basis, would comply with the technical requirements Europe
sets at its borders and hence, would freely move in the market”,
the expert said. This, according to Ghazaryan, would enable Armenia
conducting its sovereign economic policy while maintaining all the
agreements made in the country’s interests before.

Whereas the Customs Union (CU), according to the expert, is dictating
Armenia to harmonize foreign trade in line with the CU-approved
standards and procedures.

It means we should set, for the third countries, customs duties used
by Russia, Ghazaryan said adding that 70% of the CU customs duties are
higher than the Armenian ones. This may make it difficult for Armenia
to trade with third countries and import goods produced outside the
CU border.

The expert also said the GSP+ preference granted to Armenia by Europe
is going to expire in 2013. Europe could probably give Armenia some
other preferences as well, he said.

Ghazaryan also stressed that buying capacity of the European market
is five times as much as that of the CU market and its share in the
global economy is about 6 times higher than that of CU-countries.

The studies show no single customs union in the world has among its
members a country with no land boundary with other members of the
union. Armenia has no common border with other CU-countries, which
means it will have to carry out customs procedures via territory of
other countries while importing goods from the CU.

“Our main aim in turning from free trade area to the Customs Union is
free movement of goods, but Armenia’s problem is not solved because
of our geographical situation”, Ghazaryan said.

This means, according to the expert, Armenia benefits a little in
economic terms, but loses its sovereignty in economic trade policies.

According to the official statistics, Armenia’s exports
to the Russian Federation amounted to $817.2 million, to
Kazakhstan – $4.3 million and to Belarus – $32.8 million, in
January-August 2013. The country’s foreign trade turnover with
the EU was $1.059 billion in the same period.-0– – See more at:

EU TO CRITICIZE TURKISH GOV’T ON GEZI, HAIL REFORM PACKAGE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 9 2013

1
Turkish soldiers hold up a Turkish and European Union flag in Ankara.

(Photo: AP, Burhan Ozbilici) 9 October 2013 / SELCUK GULTAÅ~^LI,
BRUSSELS The European Union will praise the Turkish government for its
commitment to political reforms and democratization but will strongly
criticize the way it handled the Gezi Park events as well as limits
on freedom of expression and the media, according to a draft of the
EU’s progress report obtained by Today’s Zaman.

The draft of the report, which will be published on Oct. 16, does
not call on EU members to postpone the talks on Chapter 22. The
chapter was officially opened in late June, but its actual launch
was postponed until after the progress report.

The EU’s draft welcomes the Sept. 30 democratization package, saying:
“For the implementation of the package, both legislation and decrees
will need to be adopted by Parliament and the government respectively.

The package opens the perspective for changes to the current 10
percent threshold for representation in Parliament and provides for
the decrease of the threshold for budget support to political parties,
the easing of conditions for the establishment of political parties
and the removal of restrictions on political party membership. It
would also allow the conduct of political activity in languages and
dialects other than Turkish, education in languages and dialects other
than Turkish in private schools, the removal of criminal sanctions for
the use of letters ‘Q,’ ‘X’ and ‘W’ used in Kurdish and the change of
names of villages back to the versions which preceded the 1980 coup.”

Although the draft says the Constitutional Reconciliation Commission
had reached a consensus in principle on close to 60 articles, there
was no consensus on key political issues such as the separation of
powers or a new definition of citizenship without ethnic references,
a key demand of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

The government is also praised in the report for its civilian-military
relations and settlement process. However, the EU strongly criticized
the government on the Gezi Park events. “A divisive political climate
prevailed; the government notably adopted overall an uncompromising
stance during the protest[s in] late May and early June, including
a polarizing tone towards citizens, civil society organization and
businesses. The government did not conduct sufficient consultations
with stake-holders on the adoption of key policies and legislation
and failed to carry out adequate impact assessments,” the report
draft says.

President Abdullah Gul, as in previous years, is appreciated in the
draft for his “conciliatory role.” The president maintained this
role across Turkey’s political spectrum and society, warning against
polarization, including during the Gezi demonstrations in May and
June, when he defended the right to peaceful assembly and dissent,
the draft says. The EU underlines that Gul consistently stressed the
need to pursue EU reforms and gave active support to the settlement
process. “The president lent active support to the peace process aimed
at ending terrorism and violence in the southeast of the country,
the ultimate purpose of which he defined as raising the democratic
standards of Turkey,” document said.

Commenting widely on Gezi Park, the draft says the demonstrations
were peaceful despite the involvement of a small number of violent
protesters. Criticizing the use of excessive police force against
demonstrators, the draft stresses that “Turkish legislation and its
implementation concerning the right to assembly and intervention by
law enforcement officers are still to be brought further in line with
European standards.”

On civilian-military relations, the report draft welcomed the further
consolidation of civilian oversight of the security forces but noted
the lack of progress on the civilian control of the gendarmerie. The
judicial process of the Uludere killings was also criticized.

“Military and civilian judicial investigations into the December
2011 Uludere incident in which 34 civilians lost their lives as a
result of a military strike remained subject to a secrecy decision
and were not finalized. No administrative measure was taken to punish
any individual for the incident,” the EU wrote in its draft.

On Ergenekon, the draft says the case was finalized at first instance
in August 2013. “The ruling acknowledges the existence of a criminal
network aiming to undermine democratically elected governments. The
flaws of the Turkish criminal justice system outlined above undermined
the acceptance of the ruling by all segments of Turkish society
and tainted it with allegations of political score-settling,” the
draft said.

The EU, just as in last year’s progress report, strongly criticizes
the lack of progress in the areas of freedom of press and expression.

The draft draws a damning conclusion: “As a result, the freedom of
media remained restricted in practice.”

Despite some positive developments, such as opening up space for free
debate on sensitive topics like the Kurdish and Armenian issues and the
removal of thousands of titles from the list of banned publications,
the draft says: “Statements of state officials had a chilling effect
and instigated investigations by public prosecutors.

Moreover, state officials themselves continued to launch suits
against critical journalists and writers. This, together with the
high concentration of media ownership in the hands of industrial
conglomerates with interests going far beyond the free circulation
of information, continued to lead to widespread self-censorship by
media owners and journalists. In particular, the mainstream media
hardly reported on the Gezi Park protests in early June. Columnists
and journalists were fired or forced to resign after criticizing
[the] government.”

200 THOUSAND PEOPLE EMIGRATED FROM ARMENIA IN THREE YEARS

October 9 2013

Or, to believe the official departmental websites, or not
Government agencies in Armenia, as in many other countries with
similar structures, have official websites. For example, from the RA
President’s official website we may learn that Serzh Sargsyan started
his career in 1975 at the Yerevan Electrical Devices Factory, as a
metal turner. According to the virtual version of the RA National
Assembly, Hovik Abrahamyan has three children and seven grandchildren.

According to the RA Government’s website, Tigran Sargsyan is the 12th
Prime Minister of Armenia in the last 23 years. Official websites
have many similarities and differences. One of similarities is
the page “Armenia” or “about Armenia” where there is a compact
and comprehensive information about Armenia. These are the
sections that disclose sad reality: first, there is a migration,
second, separate public departments work with data detached from
reality. Increased migration According to the RA President’s
website, http.//,
Armenia’s population is 3.2 million people (according to de jure
population indicator), 3.0 million people (according to de facto
population indicator). The year is not listed. According to the
RA Government’s website, http.//,
the population of Armenia is 3.041 million (as of January 1,
2013). According to the website of the RA National Assembly,
http.//,
the population of Armenia is 3,21 million people (as of
2001). According to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs website,
http.//, the population of Armenia is
3.249 million (as of 2010). If we compare the data of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the Government, it will turn out that since 2010
Armenia’s population has been decreased by 200 thousand people. There
can be no other proof of official (OFFICIAL) immigration than this.

Reality or waste parallel to detached reality If we compare the data of
the RA National Assembly and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it will
turn out that in the period of 2001-2010, the number of population in
Armenia grew by barely 30 thousand, or three thousand in a year, or
8-9 children per day. While, according to the reference disseminated
by the Ministry of Health of Armenia, only in 2009, 19951 children
were born, or 54-55 children per day. Child birth in Armenia is free,
the state pays the health facility, normal child birth is about 150
thousand drams, difficult delivery is more expensive. In Armenia,
the lump-sum allowance for the first child is 50 000, for the second
child born in the family – 430 000, and so on. In other words, the
state, we – tax-payers, spend the least (if it is the first child)
200 thousand drams on the birth of one child. In reality, the birth
of 8-9 children is presented as birth of 54-55 children, or the
birth of 46 children per day is only on the paper, in other words,
the state, we – the tax-payers, waste about 9.2 million dram per day
(200X46) for false births. There can be no better proof for corruption,
waste and embezzlement than this. Now, should we believe in official
departmental sites, or not?

Nelly GRIGORYAN

Read more at:

PROTEST AND COUNTER-PROTEST: ACTIVISTS MET BY PRO-ALEXANYAN CROWD AT PAK SHUKA

NEWS | 09.10.13 | 16:46

Photolure

Civil activists protesting the redesign of an indoor Yerevan market
completed by pro-government tycoon Samvel Alexanyan this week staged
an action near what is known as Pak Shuka today.

Enlarge Photo

At the site, however, they were met by those favoring the project
and claiming to be beneficiaries of the activities of Alexanyan.

Police were deployed to prevent clashes between participants of the
demonstration and counter-demonstration.

Both sides accused each other of being unpatriotic and “serving the
interests of their bosses”.

Pak Shuka, which opened its doors to visitors after staying closed
for nearly two years as the controversial renovation was in progress,
was officially reopened today.

Civil activists claim Alexanyan committed “architectural distortion”
of the landmark building and fear that it will eventually be turned
into just one of the supermarkets in the chain owned by the tycoon.

The affluent businessman and his supporters, meanwhile, insist that
they saved the building that was falling into decay after years
of neglect.

ARMENIAN PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES COULD FACE CLOSURE – PHARMACIST

October 09, 2013 | 15:23

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s pharmaceutical manufactories and productions
will shut down for not receiving the Good Manufacturing Practice
(GMP) Certificate.

Distinguished pharmacist Vigen Topuzyan noted the aforementioned
during a press conference on Wednesday.

In his words, the Scientific Centre of Drug and Medical Technology
Expertise refuses to issue GMP certificates to Armenian pharmaceutical
companies, and on groundless arguments.

In addition, as per Topuzyan, there is no necessary normative base
to be issued this certificate.

“If it is a new game, put the rules on the table, so we may get used
[to it]. Where are the rules? I am not obligated to seek German,
Latin, or French rules; put [them] on my table in Armenian!” Vigen
Topuzyan stated.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

AZERBAIJAN: THE DAY AFTER

Posted by: Thomas de Waal Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Azerbaijan votes today in a curious election.

It is one of those post-Soviet elections where, despite a lot of
polling-day fury and a multiplicity of candidates, everyone actually
knows the result in advance-that President Ilham Aliyev will be
elected for a third term.

So the day after will be more important. In a sense today’s vote is
most important as a test on the state of the country’s opposition.

Azerbaijan’s opposition has been pretty hopeless for two decades. Its
two main parties, the Popular Front of Azerbaijan and Musavat, shared
power and governed the country briefly before President Abulfaz
Elchibey’s rule collapsed in 1993. Since then, they have lived off
nostalgia for this glorious moment in their past, squabbled amongst
themselves, and for the most part failed to adapt to Azerbaijan’s
dramatic rise as an oil and gas power. As a rule, their positions on
the Karabakh conflict with Armenia have been even more hardline than
those of the government.

This time for once the opposition in the shape of the newly-formed
National Council of Democratic Forces has a single unified candidate,
the historian Jamil Hasanli. By all reports, Hasanli has been quite
effective, using whatever chances he can to ram home a message about
government corruption.

Those chances are still limited. The opposition has been excluded from
holding public meetings in central Baku for many years. The media is
heavily weighted toward the government and independent outlets such as
Radio Liberty’s Azerbaijani Service come under pressure. Many leading
opposition figures have been put in jail this year, including Ilgar
Mammadov, a presidential candidate.

You could say that the election has come a year or so too early for
the opposition. There is certainly discontent in Azerbaijani society,
chiefly over corruption and the massive inequalities of wealth in
society. But it is not strongly focused and President Ilham Aliyev
appears to have retained his popularity with much of the public.

In that sense, the Azerbaijani opposition’s aim is not to win the poll
but to put on a show of strength. Although it cannot win the vote,
it will hope to stage enough of a protest afterwards to make a noise.

Which leads to another question for the day after: will that noise
be heard? Or to put it another way, can President Aliyev learn to
live with an opposition?

KOCHARYAN: AZERBAIJAN HAS BECOME MOST UNINTERESTING COUNTRY IN REGION

15:50 09/10/2013 ” TOPIC OF THE DAY

Although the Azeri presidential elections are not yet over, everybody
knows that Ilham Aliyev will be reelected with a high percent of votes,
information security expert Tigran Kocharyan told a press conference
in Yerevan.

The major players have agreed on Aliyev’s reelection, he added.

According to him, Aliyev’s reelection is suitable for everyone because
Azerbaijan has become the most uninteresting country in the region
– it sells oil, implements major programs, engages in robbery and
becomes richer and almost does not interfere in global policy.

“Ilham Aliyev’s reelection is also suitable for Armenia: the more he
robs the more he will fear that he can lose everything in one day,
in the event of war,” Kocharyan concluded.

Source: Panorama.am

TIGRAN ARAKELYAN WAIVED HIS ELIGIBILITY FOR AMNESTY

Today the trial of Tigran Arakelyan at the Court of Appeals started and
was adjourned. Judge Eva Darbinyan dismissed Arakelyan’s advocate’s
motion to replace the measure of prevention because Arakelyan will
be amnestied after all. The judge said the advocate may make such
motions in the stage of judicial disputes.

Tigran Arakelyan was angered by her decision and announced to waive
his eligibility for amnesty because he is undergoing a political
prosecution. The bailiff took him out of the court room, the judge
also left without saying anything.

Note that Arakelyan is accused of hitting a policeman during a clash
between the red beret policemen and the ANC activists in August 2011.

Tigran Arakelyan was arrested and has been deprived of freedom since
then. The first instance court sentenced him to 6 years. Tigran
Arakelyan is eligible for the amnesty announced by the president on
the Independence Day.

Another ANC activist Areg Gevorgyan posted on his Facebook wall that
after the tense hearing the policemen accompanying Tigran Arakelyan
asked the victim of the case, the special detachment officer to go
downstairs to Tigran Arakelyan. This is a grave violation of the law
which was done on purpose to put psychological pressure on Tigran,
Areg Gevorgyan notes.

14:59 09/10/2013 Story from Lragir.am News: